Harborough Town FC

KEZ MARCHE S S

ON! Kez Dunkley’s path to success as the winner of the 2019 GMA National Governing Bodies’ Community Sector Sports Club Grounds Individual of the Year Award is a story of career change, re-skilling and hard work

Andy Carmichael Freelance writer

I ARRIVED EARLY at Harborough Town FC to meet head groundsman, Kez Dunkley, and he’s nowhere to be seen. Someone thinks he may be out on the pitches, or perhaps he is helping with a project in the clubhouse? A few minutes later he appears, and it soon becomes clear why he is a man on the move: his responsibilities include not only the playing surfaces but also the club’s premises.

After 16 years deployed around the world in military service, Kez joined Leicestershire and Rutland County FA as premises manager at its Holme Park site. His interest in grounds management began when he started cutting pitches when the facility’s groundsman was on holiday. Enjoying the work, Kez moved to Harborough Town FC five years ago. Since then, his turf management duties have developed significantly as the number of pitches and sports teams has increased.

The site has doubled its playing area over the last 12 months. Funding to do so has come from a number of organisations: the Premier League and The Football Association Facilities Fund (delivered by the Football Foundation);

Following 16 years of military service around the world, Kez Dunkley discovered a love of grounds management and is dedicated to keeping Harborough’s pitches in peak condition

the Football Stadia Improvement Fund and Harborough District Council securing section 106 agreement finance (under the Town and Country Planning Act, contributions can be sought from developers towards providing community and social infrastructure); and the club’s own investment. There are now two artificial grass pitches (AGPs), and six full-sized and three nine-a-side natural turf surfaces. These host 50 football teams, ranging from the youngsters in the 17 mini-soccer squads to the first 11 playing in the United Counties League Premier Division. Then there are also the academies, juniors, girls and inclusive teams. Neighbouring Brooke House College, with its 150-strong football academy, also uses the site daily.

Not that football is the only activity here. There are cross-country runs, rounders tournaments and dog walkers. Surely, maintaining the surfaces amidst all the sports is challenging enough without the potential distraction of public access? “It can be a bit of an issue,” says Kez as he highlights the regular need to reseed and topdress goalmouths that may have been renovated the day before. “There is no problem with the dog walkers, but not all people coming through here act responsibly.”

Looking forward

The club has a 50-year lease on the site from the local authority and while people can be deterred from thinking it is common land for a kickabout, the club would not seek to restrict entry to an area that also hosts a leisure complex, rugby club and medical centre. Improving the facilities has helped though. “Most people who come here daily are so appreciative of the work as they remember how it was,” explains Kez.

Fortunately, there are few distractions from other potential pitch invaders. In the club’s Leicestershire neighbourhood, with its association with the fox, Kez has had to try and discourage one or two from digging holes but, as with encounters with badgers and their habitual behaviour of returning to locations, he knows it is a matter of living alongside nature rather than trying to change it to fit sport. The key for him in keeping on top of things has been implementing a well-observed timetable of pitch management.

There are maintenance logs, agreements for players using the pitches and, Kez adds, people now know “everything happens for a reason”. The previously council-maintained surfaces are now cut every week to a height of 35mm. This alone takes two days to complete – partly due to the benchmark Kez sets for himself and the surfaces. “I believe the mini-soccer players should have the same pitch standards as the senior players,” he says, “so, if the older ones have pitches with nice stripes, they all should.” He obviously prides himself on presentation.

Callum Holland currently helps Kez by looking after the artificial pitches, a part-time role that will shortly be made full-time, such is the impression he has made. The first team plays on the newest AGP but this is a club with a community focus and the majority of activity is across natural turf. This means a lot of wear and compaction. There is no fertiliser or chemical programme but slit tine aeration helps to alleviate some of the drainage and gas exchange issues that have been a problem.

Like a lot of sports turf venues, this year* has been particularly hard for Harborough Town. “Some teams are 12 games behind schedule,” says Kez, “and what it would be like without the AGPs would be unthinkable.” What is frustrating for him is that often it may only be a small percentage of a pitch that is unplayable, and the opportunity for additional maintenance could potentially address that and keep games on.

To that end, and helping to keep football on grass, has been the assistance afforded by the Grounds Management Association-led Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme (GaNTIP). Receiving the support from GMA and the local FA has given Kez backing for his strategy of rotating play and minimising the strain on each individual pitch. He feels GaNTIP’s official reports and recommendations on the surfaces offer him the chance “to approach the board and highlight what is needed”. He praises his line manager for “listening and then letting me get on with it”.

The development of the site and the facilities it offers, thanks to the contributions from all the parties involved, is something Kez is keen to emphasise. “Everything is moving forward as a club,” he feels. Kez is moving forward himself – studying for his Level 2 qualification in sports turf, he is keen to add to his formal education in the future. This can only be more good news for the growing community that continues to enjoy sport at Harborough Town. ■

The site includes six full-sized and three nine-a-side natural grass pitches

Visit the GMA website (www.thegma.org.uk) for details of GaNTIP and GMA training and education provision

Note: *These comments were made in relation to the heavy rainfall encountered prior to the Covid-19 situation